


if someone said your name

by Anielka



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Peter Nureyev POV, just me having a lot of fun with the Peter Nureyev name generator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 10:27:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18150668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anielka/pseuds/Anielka
Summary: There's a new student in Juno's class who insists on flirting with him. It'd be great if only Juno had heard him introduce himself.“Juno, my name is-““No! Don’t tell me!”“Do you… Not want to know?”“I do! I want to know your name and I want to kiss your stupid, pretty face and I want to go on cheesy dates and do all that shit with you, but you can’t tell me because then it’s not fair.”“Juno-““It’s not! I’m supposed to know your name already.” Juno whined. “Just- Let me investigate it. Let me ask around and find out.” Peter stared silently at him. “I know it’s fucking stupid, but I wasn’t paying attention the first time, and I need to earn it. I’m- I’m sorry.”





	if someone said your name

**Author's Note:**

> Tittle from One Direction's 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' one, because it's fucking romantic, and two, because it's about a guy afraid of not knowing what to do when his lover wakes up (hahaha get it? I'm still crying).
> 
> Aaaanyways, I'm here to pretend I don't have another three WIPs and a philosophy essay (yay), but technically this has been waiting for a Long Time in my folders.   
> It's unbeta'd, so if u see any mistake, please point it out!

 

If the teacher was saying something important, Juno sure missed it.

It probably was just her calling row. Or giving grades. Or explaining a project that was worth 80% if their grade.

Whatever. Juno could catch up later. He always did, anyway. This school was boring. And he missed Benten. A fucking lot. But, hey, if his bro wanted to go to that fancy dancing school, Juno would sell his own soul to ensure he did.

But brotherly love wasn't enough to keep him from falling asleep in class.

He was readying himself to keep ignoring the teacher for the next 50 minutes when she said:

"Why don't you sit there, next to Juno?" He raised his head in alarm.  Oh no. Someone sit next to him? Not in one hundred years. If someone sat there, they'd have to talk and share, and do projects together, and Juno wasn't having it. He glanced at the window on his left. Was it too late to jump from there?

"Good morning," someone said as they pulled back the chair on Juno's right and sat down, placing his school supplies with surprising care. "Rex Glass" was written on top of his History Book.

What a fucking pretentious name. 

But, oh, what a face to go with it, Juno thought as he saw Rex for the first time.

Dark, lean, elegant. An angel's smile with a fox's teeth. Dangerous eyes.

Juno thought of Little Red Riding Hood.

_‘Oh, Grandmother, what big eyes you have! What big teeth!'_

Juno swallowed, and Rex Glass smiled wider.

"Lovely to meet you, Juno." He drawled. "I look forward to our… partnership."

Juno gaped for some moments. Rex chuckled and leaned forward.

"Are you alright, Juno?"

"M'fine." He cleared his throat. "I'm fine."

"If you say so, Juno." He leaned back and Juno could finally breathe again. "Juno. What a lovely name. May I ask who-"

"Mom chose it," Juno answered quickly. He didn't want to dwell on the question. 

"I see," Rex said carefully. "Quite a regal name, don't you think? Isn't Juno a queen?"

"Yeah, well," Juno tried to think quickly of an answer that stopped him from giving Glass too much information. "It's not like you can say much, Rex."

"I'm sorry?" Rex frowned, his perfect eyebrows drawing together, disrupting their flawless arch.

" _Rex_ means king in Latin; don't tell me you didn't know." Juno huffed.

"I- I am aware, but I fail to see the relevance-"

"Rex Glass? Your name?"

"My- what? Oh!" Glass looked down to his textbook and grinned. "I see, now! Oh, you're quite the investigator, aren't you, Juno? A detective! A modern-day Sherlock Holmes-"

"What are you saying?" Juno growled.

"You didn't hear my name, did you? So, you deduced it from my books, brilliant, Juno, truly spectacular. But you overlooked a teeny-tiny detail."

"What."

"If I'm moving from another city in the middle of the school year, I don't have books of my own. I wouldn't even know what books to buy. So, these," he pointed to his table with a finger.

"These aren't yours." Juno finished. "Shit."

"Indeed." Rex, or whatever his name was, was suppressing a smile.

Juno stammered in search of an excuse.

"Oh, none of that." Not-Rex waved away his words. "Rex Glass is a perfectly good name, Juno. Why, even better than mine! You must call me that."

"It's not your name!"

"I won't allow you calling me any other name now, detective. I mean it." His face was serious now, but his eyes glowed with mischief. "Moving on, what part of the chapter would you like to read?" Not-Rex opened Rex's book and skimmed across the pages, while Juno still gaped at him in horror.

It felt like something big had just happened in his life, and he couldn't tell just how big.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

As Not-Rex walked into the cafeteria, Juno melted into the table as much as he was able.

God, to think he had made such a fool of himself in the first ten minutes of the day.

He groaned and pressed his forehead into the table.

"Jay?" Mick called him, softly pushing him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, boss, you've been awfully quiet, everything okay?"

"Yeah, ‘m okay." His voice was muffled by his posture. "'m just a disaster."

"Aw, Jay, don't put yourself down like that, you kno-"

"Does it have to do with your new classmate, boss?" Rita asked. Juno's eyes shot upward, and he saw her smirking knowingly.

"How the hell do you know that? You're not even in my class!"

"So, it has to do with him!"

"Who?" Mick looked at them. "You have a new classmate, Jay? That's cool!"

Juno groaned as he straightened up.

"I'm an _idiot_."

"Aw, boss, only if what they're saying is true."

"What are they saying?" He pushed his food around with his fork.

"That you said his name wrong, even after the teacher introduced him and made you two work together."

"Ah." Both Mick and Rita stared at him, growing smirks. "Yeah."

"Ha!" Rita yelled and turned to Mick. "I told you, I told you, didn't I?"

"Jay, how could you?" Mick asked Juno, but he was smiling as he put a hand on Juno's shoulder soothingly.

"Okay, yeah, I fucked up, can we drop it?" He snarled at them, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"Aw, boss, don't get mad." Rita smiled at him. "It can happen to the best of us, why, sometimes I forget the names of the characters of that one really cool, really old movie that we saw the other- Holy Stars, is that _him_?!" She jumped out of her seat, pointing wildly at someone in the distance. Juno risked looking that way for half a second.

He saw perfection and hid down again.

"Yeah."

"What's his name?" Rita asked him.

"I don't know!" Juno groaned.

"Well, what did you call him?" Mick was looking that way too. "He's handsome, Jay. I wouldn't have forgotten his name."

"Aren't you straight?"

"Straight, yeah, but I'm not blind, Jay. Those are some great fitting jeans."

"His name, boss, what's his name? Quickly, he's walking away!"

"Rex Glass, okay?! I called him Rex Glass! Are you guys done?"

Rita wasn't.

" _Mistah Glass_!" She yelled and Juno felt like dying. Yep, he wanted to die in that very moment, anything to stop everyone's eyes on them. "Mistah Glass, over here!"

"Yeah, Rex Glass!" Mick stood up as well and waved wildly. "Come eat with us, Rex! Scoot over, Jay," he told Juno. "He's coming."

Juno covered his face with his hands.

"You guys are the worst friends ever." He mumbled.

"Maybe so, Mistah Steel, but we're still your friends." Rita was smiling, he could hear it. "Hello, Mistah Glass!"

"How do you do?" And, oh lord, that voice. Not-Rex was here. Juno peeked a look at the floor: a shiny pair of shoes were right next to him. He looked up and found himself looking into Not-Rex's beautiful face. He smiled. "Mind if I sit here, Juno?"

Juno moved over without a sound; if he opened his mouth something even stupider would come out.

"Thank you." Not-Glass sat down gracefully.

"My name's Rita, and that's Mick and Juno, but," she giggled "You already know Juno."

"Indeed, I do." He said, his voice as joyful as hers. "It is lovely to meet you Rita, Mick. You may call me Rex."

"But that's not your real name." Mick stared at him in a confused manner.

"No, but Juno's taste in names is really good, isn't it?"

"Alright, stop it." He whined, finally managing to look at him. "C'mon, is it really necessary?"

"I'm sorry, detective, I just couldn't help myself." Not-Rex looked properly chastised. "Forgive me?" And the look he shot Juno, stars. Juno's heart did a triple flip and landed on his throat.

What was it with this guy and his ability to leave Juno speechless?

Thankfully, Rita and Mick took it upon themselves to squeeze all the information they could about Not-Rex-Glass: where did he come from, who did he live with, what subjects he liked.

Not-Rex had a way with words. He didn't vomit them the way Juno did, instead, he threaded them into poetic-like lines about the simplest things.

Juno would be lying if he said he wasn't fascinated. He also would die before admitting it.

As the bell rung and the gang rose up, Not-Rex stood up.

"Thank you for letting me sit." He said to Juno, voice softer than a whisper. "I wasn't sure where I would eat."

"You're, er, welcome."

Not-Rex gave him a short, private smile and Juno's inside transformed into pulp.

"You can come tomorrow too. I mean, with us, to lunch. Sit. Eat. Here. If you want."

Not-Rex was wide-eyed like he hadn't expected to break Juno.

"I'd love to." He answered. Juno nodded awkwardly.

"Mistah Glass," Rita called. "What's your next class?"

"Mm?" Not-Rex turned away from Juno to look at her. "Calculus, I believe."

"Oh! Mine too! I'll take you there!" She took him by the arm and began dragging him away.

Mick and Juno watched them go and walked their own way to their class.

"He's nice," Mick commented.

"So?"

"Well, I guess what I mean is, we approve."

"You what?"

"We approve. If you want to hit that, Rita and I will help you." He smirked.

"Mick!"

"Though I don't think you'll need much help…"

"Stop it!"

Mick just laughed.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

Juno didn't see Not-Rex Glass until the next day, as Mr. Perfection sat next to him in English Lit. He tried to find a reasonable answer to why his heart started beating to an unhealthy speed. He didn't like any of the options.

"Good morning, Juno."

"Yeah, morning, Glass."

"Ah, ah!" Not-Glass shook his finger like one of the Instagram makeup girls Benten liked watching. "Not today, detective! Today I am," he flipped through the first pages of his copy of Pride and Prejudice. " _Duke Rose_!"

"Duke Rose?" Not-Rex, no, _Duke_ , hummed in agreement as he leaned in and showed him his book.

"Uh, would you look at that." The name was written in cursive and surrounded by flowers. "Are those roses?" Juno squinted at the tiny drawings.

"Roses and dahlias, I believe." Duke took his book back and smiled down at it. "My research told me it is because his girlfriend's name was Dahlia."

"Your research." Juno deadpanned. "Right."

"Skepticism is not your cutest trait, Juno." Duke laughed. "I was curious, so I asked. The real Mr. Rose has already graduated and married Ms. Dahlia. They make quite the couple."

"Do they."

"Could be us, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're flirty, stop it." Juno had never been more flustered in his life and he hated it. The warmth in his face, the knot on his throat, the butterflies in his stomach, the self-consciousness of his worn-down clothes next to Duke's perfect shirt.

"As you wish, Juno."

They opened their books and started reading.

Or more like, they opened their books and Juno pretended to be reading and stole glances at Duke while he was actually reading.

He was just so handsome; it was becoming a problem. The high cheekbones, the soft smile when he read a particularly pleasing line. He rubbed his fingers, Juno noticed, at the corner of the pages, just before turning them. It was adorable.

Juno liked paying attention to details. Duke may call him ‘detective' as a joke, but Ben always said he had a future in investigation. He had good eyes and a sharp intuition.

He took his time deducing what he could from Duke: starting from the bottom, clean shoes, ( _he doesn't walk to school_ ), perfectly fitted jeans ( _either he has enough class to know what to look for o enough money to make them_ ), no belt, a French tucked ( _gay_ ) navy blue shirt ( _it makes his skin look paler_ ), a warm jacket ( _not used to Hyperion City's desert-like weather of freezing mornings and burning middays, comes from a more template area, like Themisto, Vishnu, or Brahma_ ). No rings on his fingers _(lean and quick, a pianist, a violinist, or a pickpocket_ ), no wrist bands, no necklaces, no earrings. No small details to remember him by other than his personality and his sharp smile.

He moves on to his face. Smooth, non-chapped lips ( _drinks lots of water, well-fed_ ), clean, smooth, non-greasy face ( _has access to aesthetic medicine, money to spare, cares for his looks_ ), and those eyes. Those expressive, gorgeous eyes.  There's not much to deduce from them, but stars, Juno could spend a great deal of time just fucking looking.

Those deep eyes, full of mischief and information, full of something wondrous. Eyes that allowed glimpses into their owner's mind, eyes that proved that there was life in outer space, eyes that beckoned and summoned to dance on the edge of danger and enjoy every goddamned second it lasted, eyes that-

Eyes that were staring right back at him.

"Yes, Juno?"

"Er, what page are you on?"

"Barely page twenty-three, Juno, nothing exciting yet."

"Ah, thanks."

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

Peter Nureyev had had very little expectations in this school. Mag had insisted on a good education, but was it necessary for it to be on the World's Most Boring City?

Hyperion City's greatest attractions were the hidden bars in its Old Town and the urban legends of giant rabbit's in its sewers, and Peter was interested in neither.

He was already making plans for a grand escape when he was graced with Juno Steel's presence. Stars, if he'd known someone like Juno existed so close to him, he would have gone out of his way to make introductions much earlier.

Juno seemed good at living through the good and the bad. Strong willed, quick-witted, and oh, so beautiful. Every step he took was a declaration, every turn of the mouth, every flash of movement behind those mysterious eyes was a full monologue Peter would sell his soul to hear.

He wanted to know his thoughts, his tastes, his memories. Peter had imagined himself kissing Juno so many times it felt more of a memory and less of a wish.

And oh, how Peter wished.

He wished so much he now had a prioritized list.

And among the highest ranked wishes was to hear Juno Steel say his name.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

Every society had an elite, this Peter knew. Whether it was a tyranny or a Greek democracy, someone had the power. And in Hyperion City High School, the power rested in the hands of four women.

These empresses had very little in common with each other: Vespa and Buddy were the sorts to rush at midnight in bikes, the pleasing aesthetic of a well-done crime, an unsolvable murder. Buddy and Vespa, Vespa and Buddy; always together, joined at the hip like separating them would kill them.

Then Alessandra Strong, all righteous fury and burning fires controlled by a steel-strong will. Alessandra was a big sister, a mother, a friend. A knight in shining armor, always prepared and ready.

Where the first three were raging fires, Sasha was less of a public figure. Sasha Wire was mysterious, a new moon in a starless sky. Full of secrets, full of power.

These women interacted only during lunch, when they came together, sat at the table and ate in peace. The first time Peter saw them he was reminded of the peace treaty in The Book of the Jungle: all the preys and predators drinking from the same puddle.

But if they were so different, Peter wondered, what was it that bind them together?

Peter had been in school exactly one week when he found out.

He had been on his way to Juno's table, to enjoy another really fun meal (Peter had never had many friends, if he was being honest, and had never been bothered to seek them out until he saw and felt how amazing it could be to spend 30 minutes in their company. Granted, not his friends yet, but he was getting there. He had time.). A big guy in a brown jacket approached him before he could even walk through the doors.

"Peter Nureyev?" He asked. Peter nodded. He didn't seem aggressive, but Peter knew how quickly people changed. Anger had a way with people, there was no knowing what they were going to do until they did it. "Come with me, you're not sitting with Juno today."

"Who am I sitting with, then?" He kept his voice light and unworried. There was no need for stress yet.

"Them." The big guy gestured to their right. The four empresses of Hyperion High School, four pairs of hawk eyes glued to his every movement, and an open seat in front of them.

Maybe stress a little.

Peter walked with his head held high. He had done nothing wrong. Yet. He would be fine. And if he wasn't, he would disappear. He was an expert on that.

He sat down in with the four women sat right across them and smiled his most charming smile.

No one smiled back.

"Nureyev, right?" Alessandra asked, probably more out of politeness than real doubt.

"At your service."

"Right." The girl rolled her eyes. "Charmed."

"Do you know what's going to happen?" Vespa's voice was rough, but not mean. Peter liked it.

"I hope we're enjoying lunch together, but I'll bend to your plans."

The girls looked among them and smiled.

"He's good at this," Buddy said.

"A gentleman, before everything." Sasha opened a juice box and sipped it. Peter was extremely impressed at how she still managed to be intimidating. "I like that."

"Then we agree?" Alessandra cut the conversation, and they all nodded. "Good."

Buddy turned to Peter and he straightened up.

"We're having the annual welcome party, and you are now officially invited." She said.

"Thank you." Peter wasn't sure what that meant in this new society, but refusing gifts was a stupid move.

"You're welcome." Vespa looked at Buddy. "We'll text you the details later."

"The dress code is " _Be gay, do crimes_.'" Sasha added. "I trust you'll understand that better than your better half."

"My better half?"

"Juno." They answered in unison.

"But who is the better part?" Vespa asked out loud.

"Juno." Said Sasha.

"Peter." Said Alessandra.

They looked at each other tensely before Buddy sighed.

"I think we´ll have to wait and see."

"I didn't know we needed to go in pairs." Peter wondered if they were as powerful as to decide who students were together and if that counted as tyranny.

"Oh, it's not."

"But Juno likes you."

"Even if he doesn't know it yet."

"And if he does, he won't do a thing about it for a long time."

"That damn boy." Alessandra sighed, and they all nodded in agreement.

"Could you please elaborate on that thought? I'm not entirely sure I know-" Peter felt like ‘ _???????_ '.

"Juno likes you." Buddy interrupted. "Likes you, a lot."

"If he didn't, you would know it. Trust me." Sasha smirked knowingly.

"And we like Juno, so, we like you."

"So far."

"This party is for starting the school year with the right foot and mingling."

"It's April?" Peter was more and more confused.

"Your school year here, obviously." Vespa hissed. "Juno is our friend. Do _not_ fuck this up."

"Or fuck it up." Buddy shrugged. "But do it now so it won't break his heart as much."

Peter blinked as the information settled. The four queens of Hyperion City High School were formally welcoming him to the community while giving him a shovel talk.

What a strange day.

"I understand." He smiled.

"You better." Buddy smiled back, and her smile was all threat and no warmth. Alessandra turned to him.

"Now that that is out of the way, I have to know. Is it true he has no idea what your name is?"

Peter laughed as he began to tell them the whole story.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

Peter's clothes represented perfectly the theme of the party. He was especially proud of the color palette, as well. The girls had given him everything to work with.

But good clothes weren't enough, as much as he wished they were. They were only half of the disguise: attitude was the other. Peter was at the front door, mustering up all the confidence he could.

He was fine. He was doing this, and it'd be just fine. Just on the other side of the door Rita and Mick were waiting for him, and the queens of Hyperion High had personally invited him, and- Well, Juno was there too. Probably. Hopefully.

Had he picked out his clothes as carefully as Peter had? He chuckled. Probably not. Juno seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't know what matched unless you gave him the ensemble.

Was Juno a drinker? A dancer? Was he less or more talkative? Would he laugh if Peter made a joke? Was school Juno any different than party Juno?

And to know the answer, he just needed to walk through the door; he took a deep breath and opened it, head high into Buddy Aurinko's house.

 

Inside, it was a mess: masses of people coming and going, drinks in hand and big dopey smiles in their faces. Music so loud in shook Peter's ribcage, lights dimmed low and closed windows heating up the rooms. Peter loved it. It was so different from what he was used to. The novelty made him wide-eyed and giddy.

Speaking of giddy, he heard a voice screeching from the back of the room.

"Mistah Glass! Mistah Glass, over here!" Rita's tiny hand shot through the people and Peter followed it, walking leisurely to her. "It's so great that you made it! Did Miss. Aurinko invite you?"

"They all did." Peter had to scream to make sure they heard him. The noise wasn't so impressive now.

"Wooww, Mistah Glass! They really don't do that for anyone! The last ones who were personally invited were me and Mick! And that was just because the boss told Miss Alessandra that he wanted us to come to, and they called us and were very nice to us, even if Mick did drop his juice all over Miss. Sasha's clothes, but she doesn't mind because they've been friends since fooorreeeeveeeer, oh, oh oh! Just like in that really, really old movie from the '80s about those three mean, mean girls and the other girl in blue who could totally be the boss! And oh! The cute new boy who becomes her boyfriend after the mean girls' party! Oh! Mista Glass! That'd be you! But that guy wanted to blow the school, do you wanna blow the school, Mistah Glass?" She finished her rant looking up at him with suspicious eyes. Peter was dumbfounded. How did she manage to retain and transmit so much information, he'd never know.

"I don't want to blow the school."

"Oh, good! Because then I'd have to tell the boss and he'd have to tell Mr. O'Flatheary and you'd have to leave and that'd make the boss really, really, really, really-"

"Rita," he interrupted when he could take it no longer. "Where is Juno?"

"Oh, the boss? Right there, playing beer pong." She pointed behind him, and he turned around.

His jaw almost fell to the floor. Juno looked marvelous. His clothes looked different to what he normally wore: this white shirt left very little to the imagination, and even less now that its top buttons were undone. Peter could now understand perfectly why the windows were closed. If the heat could make Juno show some skin, Peter would get a heater. The shirt was tucked lazily into dark jeans that hugged his legs.

But if Peter thought his body looked great, looking at Juno's face was heaven. He had put on some light makeup, but the deep color of his lipstick drew most of the attention to his lips. His cheeks were shining, whether it was because of the heat or a highlighter, Peter didn't care. He also put on big loop earrings; Peter had once thought they were tacky, but with Juno wearing them, they looked like gold halos.

Most importantly, Juno was laughing. He had his head thrown back, showing off the column of his throat. His voice, usually so muted, was bright and sure.

They locked eyes. Juno probably felt how Peter's eyes were rolling over his skin.

And then, Juno did something unexpected, and time seemed to stop.

He licked his lips and smiled. At him. At Peter.

Juno Steel was smiling at Peter Nureyev.

A full smile, also. Showing teeth. A smile so wide it wrinkled his eyes.

It was like staring at the sun, and Peter sighed.

Then time started flowing at a more natural pace and Juno yelled at him. What did it say about Peter that he still felt blessed?

"Rex Glass!" Juno was pointing at him with the hand that wasn't holding a red cup. "Get over here, right now!" Who was Peter to defy an order like that?

"Yes, Juno?"

"How dare you!" Juno's index was pressing into Peter's chest quite strongly, but all he cared about was how close Juno was to him. Close enough to smell some light perfume and the rum in his drink. "Just, who do you think you are? And stop smiling! It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry, Juno. What seems to be the problem?" If Peter was smiling it was entirely Juno's fault for being adorable: he was obviously tipsy and so talkative.

"You!"

"Me?"

"Yes!"

"What did I do?"

"Everything!" Juno slammed his drink against the beer-pong table.

"Hey Steel, watch it!" Some guy yelled, and both Juno and Peter shot him a look.

"C´mon Juno." Peter offered his hand to the juvenile detective. "I think you ought to drink some water." Juno scoffed.

"Sure thing, Glass." He rolled his eyes. "Then you can make sure I eat three meals a day and sleep eight full hours."

"You're not eating three meals a day?" Juno ignored his hand but did start walking towards the kitchen.

"Not important." He waved off his question; he turned to him only half-way, looking at Peter over his shoulder. "You comin' or what?"

Peter's insides turned to jelly.

"Of course, detective."

 

The kitchen was surprisingly deserted, and Peter was grateful. He wanted to hide this endearing new face of Juno and keep it to himself as long as he could.

They stayed silent as Juno dutifully drank water.

"You know, Juno," Peter said after Juno set the glass down. "You look very beautiful like this."

"What, drunk and emotional?"

"How harsh, detective. I was going to say, ‘ _enjoying yourself'_."

"Right, right. Sure." Juno frowned and looked down at the floor.

"Juno?" Peter's stomach clenched. "C´mon, detective, what seems to be a problem? You seemed terribly upset with me out there. A penny for your thoughts?" He smiled through his nervousness.

"Upset's one word." Juno huffed a laugh, but he did not sound humored at all. Peter reached out and took his hand.

"Juno." He towered over Juno easily and crouched a little to try and look at Juno's face.

"Rex." Juno looked up and, _my_ , what a sight. Peter could stare at Juno Steel for hours and he still wouldn't have enough. Juno's eyes went for a millisecond to Peter's lips, but it was enough. Peter's heart went buck crazy.

Juno Steel wanted to kiss him. He could die happily now.

He moved closer and Juno followed suit. Their pace was slow and careful, but certain.

They were close enough, their mouths almost touching, Juno's breath tingling Peter's mouth, his eyes almost closed but, just before Peter could close the space between them, Juno looked away.

"Wait, no."

Peter felt the color leave his face; he'd done, really done it. He ruined his chances. Had he misread the situation? It seemed impossible. All the signs were there, but then again, this was Juno Steel. All rules went out the window with Juno Steel.

Stars, had Peter made him uncomfortable? Peter would rather have his guts pulled out than make Juno feel uncomfortable.

"I'm very sorry, Juno." He stepped back quickly, tried to pull his hand away. "I'll-"

"Wait, no!" Juno's grip tightened. "I mean- No! This isn't what I- Ugh!"

Peter stayed put. What was happening here?

"I'm not making any sense." Juno had his eyes closed and seemed extremely angry, but not towards Peter, which was an improvement. "Just- I- We can't kiss. Not yet."

"Not yet?" Peter's mind raced. So, he hadn't fucked up. Good! Good, good, good, good. There still was a chance of stealing Juno Steel's heart.

"No. Not yet. I'm-" He looked like he was struggling to find words. "Rex, look, I'm a proper lady, no matter what you've heard." Peter wanted to kill anyone who ever said otherwise. "I don't kiss and tell, and I don't kiss strangers. I don't do," he waved vaguely, referring to whatever had just happened between them.

"Juno, I'm not a stranger, am I?" The saw each other every day! 

"Well, kinda!" Juno wasn't slurring any words, but the fact that he was sharing so much information was the sign that he was actually under the influence of alcohol. "I don't even know your name!"

"If that's all that needed," He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Juno, my name is-"

"No! Don't tell me!" Juno pulled both hands away from Peter's and placed them over Peter's mouth, shutting him up.

"Do you… Not want to know?" He wondered what was happening inside Juno's mind, and if it made any sense.

"I do! I want to know your name and I want to kiss your stupid, pretty face and I want to go on cheesy dates and do all that shit with you, but you can't tell me because then it's not fair."

"Juno-"

"It's not! I'm supposed to know your name already." Juno whined. "Just- Let me investigate it. Let me ask around and find out." Peter stared silently at him. "I know it's fucking stupid, but I wasn't paying attention the first time, and I need to earn it. I'm- I'm sorry."

Juno seemed entirely too ashamed of himself. His voice was rough and choked, his forehead was creased with a little wrinkle at the center and his hands kept twitching.

It was entirely too adorable.

"Juno." Peter took Juno's hands again. "It's alright, I understand."

"You- you do?"

Peter nodded.

"If time is what you want, I can give you time. All the time you want. It's alright."

"It is?"

"It is."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Okay. Yeah. Alright." Juno raised his head. He was smiling faintly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Juno." Peter kissed his lady's knuckles. All was fine.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .

 

**Day 1**

 

Juno was jittery. Very. He kept twitching on his seat, squirming quietly.

"Are you alright, Juno?" Peter reached out and touched Juno's hand softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine. Just great." He was staring at the table. When he finally looked up at Peter, he was flushed. "Is your name Perseus Shaw?"

Peter smiled and shook his head.

"Yeah, it was too easy." Juno frowned.

"It's alright, Juno. You'll find out."

"Yeah."

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

**Day 5**

 

"Good morning, Juno."

"Good morning," Juno paused, unsure. "Zinnia."

"Oh, that one's pretty."

"Wrong?"

"Very. What did you get for number 12?"

"I'll tell you if you let me copy number 18."

"Deal."

 

. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

**Week 3**

 

"But boss! Movie night's a tradition!"

"Not tonight, Rita."

"But it's always been you, me and Mick! And even though Mistah Glass is very handsome and treats you real nice and is super good for you and your self-esteem, it's _movie night!"_

"Yeah, but we'll do that next week, tonight it'll be just Ace and me."

"Mistah Glass' real name's Ace?"

Peter spoke from the back of the kitchen.

"No, it's not! Mine's much larger!"

"I said no clues, Cornelius!"

"That's not it either!"

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

**Month 4**

 

"Alright, so, Ben, this is my boyfriend, Patrick Cannon."

"Nice to meet you, Patrick. I've heard a lot about you."

"Thank you, Benzaiten, likewise. Though, Juno, darling?"

"What?"

"That's not my name."

Ben laughed.

"I see the rumors are true, then. C'mon inside, Mystery Boyfriend. I gotta give you a shovel talk. Can't let Super Steel's heart get all broken over some pretty face, can we?"

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .. . . . . .

 

**Month 5 and a half**

 

"Juno, my love?"

"What?"

"Why does it say, ‘ _Nestor Little_ ' helped you in this paper when I did the research?"

 "Is that not your name?"

"At least you have one letter right."

 

. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. .

 

**Month 6**

 

"Juno, what kind of name is Stamps Valentine?!"

"Not yours?"

"Must certainly not! Where are you even getting these names?!"

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

**Month 7 and three days**

 

"Okay, the rules are: every time Mistah Steel gets the name wrong, we take a shot."

"You turned my relationship into a drinking game?!"

"Juno, dear, it's fine. All in good fun, isn't it?"

"Shut it, Bran."

"Not quite right, Juno."

"Ooooh! Everyone, have a shot!"

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

**Month 8**

 

"If we got married, would you take my name, or would I take yours?"

"Hm, interesting question, dear, but I'd rather we hyphen them."

"So, Steel-Nikiforov?"

"I see we're now stealing names from fictional characters."

"Wrong again?"

"Well, at least now you're using the right language."

"You're _Russian_?!"

"Well, no. It's just- I- You know, I'm actually not sure. I may be Russian. Mag may have lied about that too."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

**Month 8 and three days**

 

"Sergey."

"No."

"Andrey."

"No."

"Ilya."

"No."

"Kurtashkin."

"No."

"Vahkrov."

"No."

"Vyachelavovich."

"No." A small pause. "How is that even spelled?"

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

**Month 8 and four days**

 

"Okay, I'm going to say several names and you're going to stop me if I say the right one."

"Very well. Ask away, detective."

"Tarasovich, Filimonov, Mukhov, Slava, Rodya, Oleg, Gagolin, Sapogov, Arshavin, Nuriyev, Entsky, Borya-"

"Wait, what did you say?"

"Borya?"

"No, no, earlier, repeat those last four."

"Arshavin, Nuriyev, Entsky, Borya."

"Ah, so close. But sadly no."

"Agh, fuck."

"You know, Juno. You can still ask."

"Yeah, I know. It's just that… Now I have to, you know?"

"I know, and I know you will. You're almost there, truth be told."

 

. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

**Month 8 and seven days, Monday**

 

Juno slammed his hands on top of his boyfriend's desk, startling him.

"Juno? What is it?"

His face was overjoyed and mischievous. Behind him, Rita and Mick wore twin expressions of happiness, giggling into their hands.

"You are _Peter Nureyev_ ," Juno said, triumphant.

Peter wasted no time: grabbed Juno by the collar and kissed him. He could feel Juno's smile under his lips, Juno's fingers on his shirt. He could hear their classmates’ wolf whistling.

 _Juno Steel_ and _Peter Nureyev_.

Finally.

**Author's Note:**

> A small bonus I didn't write but would've loved to: Juno trying to convince Peter, very, very seriously, that the Hyperion City Giant Sewer Rabbits are real because he saw one, okay?! The baby rabbit took his phone and started playing a video, and no, Juno was Not high when that happened. 
> 
> Hope you liked it! Kudos and appreciated and comments are screenshot and saved in a Pinterest board for when I'm depressed (actually, not true, but I should totally bc those are so nice).   
> Also! This has a lot of sort-of accidental fandom references so if you see them, tell me!   
> My Twitter is @Anielka-Ela and my Tumblr is AnielkaEla, if you liked it or if you wanna talk, do hit me up! I love making friends!


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